Brick by Brick: From Practitioner to Security Founder - Andrew Peterson, Founder @ Signal Sciences
06/05/24 • 65 min
In this episode, Andrew Peterson, co-founder of Aviso Ventures, engages in an insightful conversation, sharing insights on the founding story of Signal Sciences, strategies for hiring and managing employees in early-stage startups, the importance of scaling a company while maintaining culture, and advice for founders and early employees in the startup ecosystem.
The discussion also touches on the role of AI in achieving business value and differentiation, the effectiveness of AI in product development and investment, and the challenges faced by founders in the cybersecurity industry.
Topics discussed:
Founding Story of Signal Sciences (Exit to Fastly for $825 Million)
Importance of Establishing Clear Roles and Dynamics Among Co-founders
Finding the Right Fit for Early Employees
Unique Hiring Strategies in Startups
Strategies for Closing Candidates in Early-Stage Startups
Impact of Scaling Up on Team Dynamics and Culture
Transition from Early-stage to Scaling in a Startup
Identifying and Embracing Product Market Fit
Advice for Founders and Early Employees
Importance of Grit and Hard Work
Challenges Faced by Founders in the Cybersecurity Industry
Links:
Find Andrew on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmarshallpeterson/)
Aviso Ventures' website (https://avisoventures.com/)
Brick by Brick is presented by Garuda Ventures (https://garuda.vc).
About Garuda Ventures:
Garuda Ventures is a B2B-focused pre-seed and seed venture fund. Garuda is a first-check firm and aims to earn the right to be a founder's first call as they go about building their companies. To learn more, visit https://www.garuda.vc
Today's episode was hosted by Arpan Punyani. Find Arpan on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arpanpunyani/), Substack (https://arpanpunyani.substack.com/) or X/Twitter (https://x.com/arpanpunyani)
Brick by Brick is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts & Spotify. Hit 'subscribe' to stay up to date with new episodes!
In this episode, Andrew Peterson, co-founder of Aviso Ventures, engages in an insightful conversation, sharing insights on the founding story of Signal Sciences, strategies for hiring and managing employees in early-stage startups, the importance of scaling a company while maintaining culture, and advice for founders and early employees in the startup ecosystem.
The discussion also touches on the role of AI in achieving business value and differentiation, the effectiveness of AI in product development and investment, and the challenges faced by founders in the cybersecurity industry.
Topics discussed:
Founding Story of Signal Sciences (Exit to Fastly for $825 Million)
Importance of Establishing Clear Roles and Dynamics Among Co-founders
Finding the Right Fit for Early Employees
Unique Hiring Strategies in Startups
Strategies for Closing Candidates in Early-Stage Startups
Impact of Scaling Up on Team Dynamics and Culture
Transition from Early-stage to Scaling in a Startup
Identifying and Embracing Product Market Fit
Advice for Founders and Early Employees
Importance of Grit and Hard Work
Challenges Faced by Founders in the Cybersecurity Industry
Links:
Find Andrew on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmarshallpeterson/)
Aviso Ventures' website (https://avisoventures.com/)
Brick by Brick is presented by Garuda Ventures (https://garuda.vc).
About Garuda Ventures:
Garuda Ventures is a B2B-focused pre-seed and seed venture fund. Garuda is a first-check firm and aims to earn the right to be a founder's first call as they go about building their companies. To learn more, visit https://www.garuda.vc
Today's episode was hosted by Arpan Punyani. Find Arpan on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arpanpunyani/), Substack (https://arpanpunyani.substack.com/) or X/Twitter (https://x.com/arpanpunyani)
Brick by Brick is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts & Spotify. Hit 'subscribe' to stay up to date with new episodes!
Previous Episode
Brick by Brick: What Product Market Fit Feels Like - Aston Motes, Employee #1 @ Dropbox
In this episode, our guest Aston Motes shares his experience as the first employee at Dropbox, sharing insights into the early days of the company's growth, decision-making processes, and challenges faced. We explore the importance of product-market fit, the dynamics of startup culture, the impact of talent and diversity in teams, and the transition from early employee to founder.
Aston also shares advice for prospective founders and early employees.
Topics discussed include:
Aston's background and journey from South Carolina to becoming the first employee at Dropbox
- Why he decided to join Dropbox and how they grew the early team
- The importance of product-market fit and the evolution of the company
- The role of talent, diversity, and relationships in startup success
- Lessons learned from the early days of Dropbox and the transition from early employee to founder
- Advice for anyone considering joining a new startup or becoming a founder
- Essential questions for prospective founders and early employees to ask themselves before taking the leap
Links: Find Aston on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aston-motes/) or on his website (astonmotes.com)
Brick by Brick is presented by Garuda Ventures (https://garuda.vc).
About Garuda Ventures:
Garuda Ventures is a B2B-focused pre-seed and seed venture fund. Garuda is a first-check firm and aims to earn the right to be a founder's first call as they go about building their companies. To learn more, visit https://www.garuda.vc
Today's episode was hosted by Rishi Taparia. Find Rishi on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rktaparia/), Substack (taps.substack.com) or X/Twitter (x.com/taps)
Brick by Brick is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts & Spotify. Hit 'subscribe' to stay up to date with new episodes!
Next Episode
Brick by Brick: Finding Magic in the Mundane - Jared Fliesler, fmr Slide, Square, Scribd
In this episode of Brick by Brick, Rishi Taparia sits down with Jared Fliesler, a seasoned operator who has held key roles at companies like Slide, Square, and Scribd.
Jared shares his untraditional path into the startup world, the importance of storytelling as a leader, his philosophy on making the most of "mundane" tasks, and how to hire and fire well. He also discusses his own venture, First Call, his own coaching practice built to help founders navigate the challenges of scaling.
In this episode, we dig into:
How Jared transitioned from finance into startups
The importance of storytelling and narrative development for founders and leaders
"Making magic of the mundane" - Jared's approach to tackling necessary but boring tasks that are core to growing any company
Early "hacks" Jared and the Square experimented with as they began to scale
The importance of communicating the "why" as a founder, not just giving directives
Jared's new coaching venture, First Call, and his unique approach to founder coaching
Where to Find Jared:
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jaredsf/
Twitter: x.com/JaredSF
Website: firstcall.co
Brick by Brick is presented by Garuda Ventures (https://garuda.vc).
About Garuda Ventures:
Garuda Ventures is a B2B-focused pre-seed and seed venture fund. Garuda is a first-check firm and aims to earn the right to be a founder's first call as they go about building their companies. To learn more, visit https://www.garuda.vc
Today's episode was hosted by Rishi Taparia. Find Rishi on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rktaparia/), Substack (taps.substack.com) or X/Twitter (x.com/taps)
Brick by Brick is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts & Spotify. Hit 'subscribe' to stay up to date with new episodes!
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